Happy Ending
by Lenadexil
Summary: Nichole Charlton was forced to leave Gatlin by her best friend before the Purging. Four years later, she's finally back to keep the promise she made to him. Malachai/OC oneshot Edited due to a mistake I made. It's all fixed now!


**Okay, okay, don't panic, I'm not stopping with Not What It Seems, I promise. I just updated that today and I'm having a bit of trouble writing for it at the moment because this oneshot has been stuck in my head as well. I've seen the remake of Children of the Corn, but I finally saw the original last night. I must say, I like it pretty well. Especially my favorite character, Malachai. He's done sooo much better with Courtney Gains playing him, in my opinion anyways. So, I'm merely taking a VERY VERY small break from Not What It Seems to bust this oneshot out quick. Once this is out, I'm hoping it'll be a bit easier to write for my other story. So, let's just do this quick, yeah?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Children of the Corn and I never will. I only own Nichole.**

**Edit: I haven't actually read the short story yet (I managed to check the book it's in out today from the library!) and as such, I was quite shocked when I learned that Malachai's real name was known…This has basically been edited in the one way of me fixing his name. I felt so stupid when I realized I'd made that mistake and I couldn't just leave it! **

"_Are you crazy? I can't just leave you here…no way!" Nichole Charlton yelled, staring up at the redhead in front of her. _

"_I'm not giving you a choice, Nichole! What's about to happen here isn't going to be good and I know you won't like it! Just get out of here and don't come back. Run away now!" he yelled in return, his blue eyes blazing at the blond. Nichole's green eyes filled with a sadness as she shook her head. _

"_If it's going to be bad, then why are you staying? Because Isaac said to? You never used to listen to anyone, so why now?" she whispered, trying hard not to cry. The redhead smiled and shook his head. _

"_That's not important. What's important is that you get out of Gatlin and never come back!" he yelled before sighing. Nichole went wide eyed and instantly hugged him in return when she was pulled forward into his embrace. "Listen…you need to leave. What's going to happen isn't what you're cut out for…so get out." he said more gently this time. _

"_But…but I…" _

"_Just do it…for me, okay?" Nichole sniffled and looked up at him before nodding. _

"_Okay…alright…" he nodded and led her back to her house. Her parents said nothing, used to having him around as they went up to her room, presuming them to be going to play. Once there, he grabbed a backpack and shoved it at her. She sniffled again as she packs a few clothes, and made sure to grab a couple of notebooks that had notes they had passed back and forth as well as a picture of both of them. He walked to her window and climbed out before helping her as well, leading her through the corn to the outskirts of Gatlin. _

"_Now, just run. Hemingford isn't far, you should make it by nightfall if you don't stop. Listen to me Nichole, promise me you won't come back." he said as he grabbed her shoulders, making her green eyes meet his blue ones. _

"_But…I…"_

"_Don't…please don't start arguing with me again, Nichole! Now go!" he pushed he towards the road leaving Gatlin. Nichole sniffled before turning and hugging him. _

"_I'll come back for you someday! Promise, Craig." she whispered. Craig laughed and shook his head._

"_Don't do that…but if you do, you'll need to be sneaky, and use my new name, okay?" _

"_What? New name?"_

"_Yeah…I'm not Craig anymore, Nichole. I'm Malachai now." he sighed and kissed her forehead suddenly before turning her around and giving her another push. "Now go!"Nichole nodded and sobbed before she took off in a run, her backpack bouncing against her back as she did so. Once she was about a mile or so away she turned around and took a deep breath. _

"_I'LL COME BACK SOMEDAY MALACHAI! I PROMISE!"_

XXX

Nichole sighed as she drove along the road quickly. It had been four years, four long years, since she'd seen her hometown of Gatlin. She had no idea what had happened after Craig – no, she told herself, Malachai – had made her leave. It didn't matter though; she'd made a promise to her best friend and she was going to keep it.

As she drove past the yellow house that she remembered a little girl named Sarah and her older brother lived at with their parents, she saw a yellow car shoved full of corn stalks. She shook a bit in fear at the sight, but continued into town, pushing her blond hair out of her face. As she reached the middle of town, she parked her car and pulled her long blond hair into a ponytail, feeling her stomach twisting in nerves. Something was off and she could feel it. She stepped out of her car and shivered because of the wind before frowning as she looked around. She reached into the back seat of the car and pulled out a baseball bat, something her foster brother had put in her car for "protection against perverts". With the bat in hand, she began to walk.

XXX

Nichole had been walking around for at least an hour and hadn't found anything. She was starting to worry that the town had truly been abandoned, that no one was there. She jumped and raised the bat before hiding behind a house when she heard footsteps running towards her. She kept herself from shaking and forced back a scream as a man with blond hair went running past her. It wasn't until he ran into the cornfield that she realized he wasn't after her. She looked closer and noticed the orange glow coming from the middle of the cornfield and wondered just what was going on. Gripping her bat tightly, she took off in a sprint towards the glow, hoping someone she knew would be there.

When she reached the clearing, she stayed hidden, hearing the man yelling at the kids that they were crazy, that this wasn't right and it made her wonder what she had truly missed in the past four years. She had to force back a scream when she saw him take a redhead down before he stood up a minute later. He said something else to the kids, something she didn't understand as her focus was on Malachai before he started to walk off. Malachai slowly stood up and glared.

"Well, go after him!" he yelled at the children before they all froze at hearing a voice.

"Malachai!" it spoke in a distorted voice, instantly sending shivers down Nichole's back. Some of the children took off running instantly, some muttering the name 'Isaac' as a boy who obviously had something wrong with him walked into the clearing. Taking a look at Malachai, Nichole could see how scared he was, something he rarely showed even before whatever happened in Gatlin had happened. The boy slowly made his way towards Malachai as more of the kids took off in fear, the adult male turning to run as well.

"He wants you too, Malachai." the boy spoke before reaching out towards the redhead. Nichole watched Malachai back up, closer to the corn stalks and when she saw Isaac getting too close, she let out a scream and ran from the corn.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM!" her voice echoed around them as she swung the bat again and again, hitting the small boy every time. Once he was on the ground, she turned and grabbed Malachai's hand, dragging him away and through the corn. He was dumbstruck for a moment as she pulled him along before he finally snapped out of it.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he demanded before lifting the girl up into his arms and continuing to run. "I told you never to come back to Gatlin, so why are you here?" Nichole stared up at him as they ran before wrapping her arms around his neck.

"I had to come back, for you! I promised I'd come back, Malachai…I'm here now!" she sobbed into his neck as he ran. When he reached the edge of the cornfield, he continued to hold her. "How'd you get here?"

"My car…I parked it by the town hall." Nichole whispered, hanging on as he started to run again. Once they were there, he set her down and she ran to the car, opening the door. "Get in!"

Malachai nodded and climbed into the car, knowing if he stayed here, he'd die and that wasn't something he wanted, not yet at least. Nichole started the car and backed up before taking off as fast as she could, speeding out of Gatlin and onto the highway.

"Where are we going?" Malachai asked her, shaking a bit. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but nearly being killed by Isaac and He Who Walks Behind the Rows had terrified him.

"Hemingford. I have a foster family there…Malachai, what happened in Gatlin? Why were only the kids there?" Nichole whispered, shivering slightly as the stalks on either side of the road swayed violently.

"I'll tell you when we get to Hemingford, I promise, but for now just get us the hell out of here!" Malachai yelled, watching the corn stalks warily. Nichole wouldn't understand, but he knew what was out there and just what He was capable of. Nichole frowned but nodded as she kept driving, her instincts screaming at her to get out of the reach of the corn as soon as possible.

XXX

Nichole stared at Malachai in shock, her green eyes holding the terror she felt.

"Are…are you serious, Malachai? This isn't some kind of a joke…?" she whispered, part of her hoping that yes, it was just a sick joke, but the other part knew it wasn't.

"I'm serious. Isaac came to us and told us that if we purged the town of the adults, then He Who Walks Behind the Rows would revive the land, and the corn, making everything better again. It was true but…" he trailed off. He wasn't sure how to say he had changed feelings, that he couldn't believe that it was a god, but a demon. It had been drilled into him for four years that He Who Walks Behind the Rows was a god, the real god, but what kind of god would kill one of his most truly devoted before his nineteenth year?

"So…so all the adults…all our parents…" Nichole let out a sob when Malachai nodded before launching herself at him. "My Mom and Dad…" Malachai nodded, holding her tightly as she cried. He sighed, holding her close and securely, partly to comfort her and partly because he'd missed it and let her cry, rubbing her back.

"I'm sorry. I can tell you this much, Nichole, I wasn't the one who killed your mom and dad. I don't know who did it, and I know it doesn't make it better but…" he trailed off as Nichole's head lifted to look at him.

"I'm not…I'm not mad at you, Malachai…it was all Isaac, he tricked all of you. Listen…let's just go! I'll get my money out of the bank and we'll just go. Go far away from Gatlin, from Nebraska even!" Nichole cried, clinging to him tightly. Malachai frowned a bit before seeing her pleading green eyes, a sight he'd missed for four years.

"Alright. Alright, Nichole, let's go."

XXX Five Years Later XXX

Nichole Boardman smiled as she walked outside, looking out towards the garden she and her family had. She glanced over the garden before not seeing her husband and children before turning towards the barn. She grinned when she saw Malachai pulling the twins along, leading the horse they were sitting on. After they'd left Hemingford, Nichole and Malachai had bought the biggest patch of land they could. He'd built a house for them and soon afterwards, they'd gotten married. She laughed as she waved to the three males.

"Come on, boys! Time for lunch!" she called out, grinning as she looked at the two children Malachai helped off the horse. Jonathan had gotten his father's eyes and nose, while the rest of him was his mother. Michael however, looked exactly like his father, nothing of his mother in him. Nichole smiled as she watched the two boys come running into the house, laughing. She smiled and walked out to where he husband was putting the horse back in his stable.

"There, there boy…good boy…" Malachai whispered to the horse gently. Nichole smiled at how much he had recovered from his time in Gatlin and being a part of Isaac's cult. She walked over to him and hugged him gently from behind.

"I love you." she whispered to him, smiling against his shoulder.

"I love you too, Nichole…" he turned and smiled at her. His time in Gatlin still upset him and haunted him, but they were away from most people. Plus, he had his family, the most important thing to him. He looked out at the field that had had corn in it when they're first bought the place. He'd instantly tore it down, ripped the roots out and all.

"All ours, Malachai. We finally made something for ourselves…but I think our boys are waiting for us for lunch." Nichole smiled and stood up on tiptoe to kiss him gently.

"Yeah, you know they are…" he smiled as she turned and left. He smiled and sent up a quick prayer to the Lord, the real Lord, thanking him for his happy ending.

**Yeah, there it is. Just a little oneshot I had to get out for Malachai since he's my favorite in Children of the Corn. Now hopefully I'll be able to write more for Not What It Seems since this is done! **


End file.
